London’s menswear moment

Walking
out of the GQ office recently, I noticed that
the two old Sir Giles Gilbert Scott-designed red
telephone boxes on Hanover Square have been cleaned up
and given a lick of paint - presumably in time for the
Olympics. It gave me a little glow of pride that the British
are getting better at recognising what we do better than
anyone else - and the old red telephone box
definitely belongs in that category.

As does great British menswear: after all, we Brits more or
less invented its modern incarnation and have led the world in
the sartorial stakes ever since Beau Brummell referred to
the Prince Regent as "your fat friend" in 1813. Indeed, the
modern suit itself is said to date back to the court of
Charles II. But despite the fact that Savile Row is still synonymous with the very
best in gents' tailoring, in the past few years it seemed London
was being eclipsed by Milan or Paris as the capital of
menswear.

And while its continental counterparts could muster up four days
of men's shows each, by 2011 London had been reduced to a handful
of names showing on a day tacked on to the end of the women's
shows.

And while it is fair to say that this has proved to be a
showcase for some of the country's emerging talents, particularly
among the British media, the fact that the day overlapped with Fashion Week in Milan meant that many members
of the international press had to leave London beforehand.
There may never have been any doubt that there was real talent
coming out of British fashion colleges such as Central Saint
Martins, but it was beginning to seem that the only way to make a
name for themselves was to be snapped up by the giant fashion
conglomerates overseas.

More importantly, because the day fell into the schedule of the
womenswear shows rather than the men's - these typically take place
around two months beforehand - the event was commercially
unsatisfactory, as the big international menswear buyers would
always have spent the vast majority of their season's budgets
before even seeing what poor London's designers had to offer.

So, not surprisingly, when some people started thinking aloud
that perhaps the future was to move the London menswear shows to
Milan or Paris it was decided that this was a situation that
couldn't go on if the city was to seize back its crown as the world
capital of menswear. So this month, for the first time, London Collections: Men has emerged from the
shadow of the womenswear shows and is to have its own dedicated
all-singing, all-dancing three days of men's shows and events
opening on Friday, 15 June, timed to kick off the international
menswear schedule before the fashion pack move on to Florence, Milan and Paris.

"When it was just a day, it did a great job of showing how much
new talent there was coming through in this country," says Simon
Chilvers, the assistant fashion editor of the Guardian, and a keen supporter of the new
London Collections: Men - or, as it is more
snappily known, LC:M (expect to see this on innumerable
hashtags on Twitter). "But there are all these other incredible,
often more established British brands out there that weren't really
being involved, so it made more sense to make it a bigger event.
Also, one of the unique elements of the British fashion scene is
the strength of the High Street. In recent years there has been a
boom in menswear and there are so many interesting clothes on the
High Street for men. A lot of young British designers have been
supported by - and worked for - the giant retailers such as Topman
that it is logical now to launch them on to a world stage."

This is such a good opportunity. I think doing a full-on
show in London makes us stronger as a brand

Richard James

The
launch of LC:M was announced in Paris in January this year, and the
effect of this expression of new-found confidence in London
menswear was almost immediate. Indeed, the very last Men's Day,
that took place the following month, has already been reported by
many as perhaps the best collection of men's shows the capital has
seen for several years, with the designers involved showing a new
maturity. Perhaps more importantly, the big international buyers
were starting to talk London up, especially as the dates of the new
LC:M shows will now fit in with their commercial schedule. This is
the biggest consideration of all, as the global menswear market in
2011 was worth almost £20bn, and it's growing rapidly.

"I am such a huge believer in the whole project," says Tim
Blanks, editor-at-large for style.com and a member of the LC:M board. "It
is the first really confident expression of London's new place
in the fashion firmament. The new dates ensure that the London
collections will be seen at the time of year that the international
buyers will be allocating their menswear budgets. And the fact that
LC:M will precede the Milan and Paris shows is a wonderful way to
impress upon people the fact that London is a leader not a
follower. To come at the beginning of the international schedule
sends out a strong message that there is no longer any sense of
compromise. And the depth of the London schedule is remarkable - in
the case of the clothes and the accessories designers. You don't
find this depth of talent anywhere else."

The 2012 menswear committee includes representatives from the
biggest retailers, such as Stephen Ayres of Liberty, Jeremy Langmead of Mr Porter, Marigay McKee of Harrods and David Walker-Smith of Selfridges. The list of
designers involved includes Burberry's Christopher Bailey, Topman's Gordon Richardson and Tom Ford among others, as well as fashion
ambassadors such as David Walliams and supermodel David Gandy. Another high-profile member of
the council is hip-hop superstar Tinie Tempah - GQ's Best- Dressed Man
of 2012 and owner of his own new clothing range, Disturbing London.
"I think it's great to be on the board," he says. "Out of everyone
on the committee, I think I'm the most different. I suppose they
are all pimping me out as the young edge of it. I think it's nice
to have all those different dimensions on the council." Not only is
Tinie on the council but he is also throwing a party to celebrate
LC:M on the Saturday night. "I'm going to
invite Prince Charles," he says. "I hope he comes
because it would be cool to do some sambuca shots with him."

And
his dreams may come true, as LC:M's biggest coup was announced at
Christopher Shannon's London show in February
when it was revealed that HRH The Prince Of Wales (himself a regular in
GQ's annual Best- Dressed List) would kick off the
proceedings with what promises to be a very stylish reception at St
James's Palace on Thursday, 14 June. The Guardian is
particularly excited about Prince Charles "doing a Boris". "For starters,
he has better suits," trilled deputy fashion editor Imogen Fox.

"It isn't surprising that so many people want to be involved,"
says Topman's Gordon Richardson. "London has an energy and
personality that no other city can even begin to match. We hear
this the whole time but it is difficult to describe its strengths
in any other way without falling into clichés. It is a melting pot
for talent and courage."

One of the modern-day Savile Row stalwarts taking part is
GQ favourite Richard James. "The last time we did a show
was nearly 30 years ago in Paris," he admits. "We didn't show in
London before as we weren't interested in being involved when it
was just a day and we didn't particularly want to show as we felt
that the shop was our showroom and it was nice to keep it quite
private. But this is such a good opportunity and it is fantastic
that it is three days and that Britain is the start of the men's
fashion calendar. It is also an amazing line-up."

Not only this, but James is sure it will be good for business:
"I think doing a full-on show makes us stronger as a brand. It will
certainly give us a much better image as we will be on the fashion
calendar, so it will be on all the fashion websites. Also, to tell
the truth, we do collections every season and they are just in the
showroom and it feels like 'What now?' But this time we are doing a
collection and it will feel like we have really achieved something.
And that is very special."

One
of James' most loyal customers and Savile Row's most famous fans is
David Walliams, and the comedian and actor is
also involved in London Collections: Men. "The request to join the
board came in the guise of a phone call to congratulate me on
getting Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Lara Stone to pose on the
front page of the Independent in hockey gear," says Walliams. "I
don't think London is the most stylish city in the world - that has
to be Rome or Paris - but its great strength is diversity. And
London Collections: Men will help more and more men to understand
all the different statements a man can make. I used to be afraid of
the tyranny of the suit and to think it was a very boring way to
dress, but now I understand how elegant it can be. It is this
diversity we are hoping that will promoted."

And to underline the international nature of London menswear,
the British Fashion Council - with the help of the editorial
director of GQ Asia Pacific, Grant Pearce - has also invited rising Chinese
designer Xander Zhou to show. Beijing-based and Dutchtrained Zhou,
who has been described in the New York Times as a "fashion
deconstructivist", first showed in Amsterdam in 2004 and has been
tipped as the Chinese menswear talent to watch. "Actually, I've
been keen on fashion since I was a child," he says. "When I went to
study in Holland, I started altering clothes when I found details
that weren't to my satisfaction. Later, my friends sent me a sewing
machine as a gift, so I began to make my own clothes. When people
saw them, they couldn't believe the clothes were my own work. Many
of my friends suggested that I go to a fashion school, so I
did."

To show in the UK also turns out to be a dream come true for the
28-year-old designer. In an interview three years ago, Zhou was
asked where he saw himself in the future. He replied, "London
Fashion Week would be nice. I think fashion-savvy Chinese know many
more UK brands than the other way around. There is still a lot of
potential there for Chinese designers." But LC:M isn't just about
designers doing catwalk shows. Throughout the capital,
presentations will be held to help show the best of British. One
such presentation will be by Orlebar Brown, arguably the world's
chicest men's swimwear company. "We are opening our second store,"
explains founder Adam Brown, "and we will empty the shop and do a
four-hour presentation. The collections are a really exciting
opportunity and we wanted to be part of that. We are hoping to see
a mix of buyers and press. This is the first opportunity we have
had to show people our range within its own environment and putting
the story together in a space we have designed, rather than showing
at trade fairs."

It's relevant to present in London now as there are so
many strong brands here

Jonathan Saunders

Appropriately enough,
the collection is inspired by the Englishman abroad, looking at
everyone from the louche Sebastian Flytetype figure to David Niven
in Cap Ferrat, so Brown will be bringing the look home - for a
domestic and international audience.

Glasgow-born Jonathan Saunders is another designer
presenting menswear for the first time in London. "What's going on
in London is so exciting that we really wanted to be part of it,"
he says. "What's so good about it is that people are taking it so
seriously. I think it's relevant to present here in London now
because there are so many strong brands based here. In the past,
buyers have come to look at the innovations and be interested in
the new ideas, but then haven't really invested in the pieces. But
now with the rescheduling of the menswear shows we can see a
genuine mix of the creative and commercial. Also, to be honest, the
British Fashion Council has been so amazingly supportive of me that
I am happy to be committed to London."

The new shows come on the back of already impressive strides
forward in the British menswear business. "Through our London
showroom initiatives that we do around the world we are already
seeing incredible growth," says Caroline Rush, chief executive of
the British Fashion Council, "especially with our new young
designers in international markets. The menswear market in Asia and
China in particular is going from strength to strength. But the
benefit is not just seen by the designers showing on the catwalk.
During Fashion Week there is always an uplift in sales on the High
Street. The media focus on the trends that are coming through
drives people to the shops. And it is good for British industry,
too. Many of the young designers are already manufacturing in this
country. As we have seen with the great success of the Made In
Britain collections that have been produced by Topman, there is
definitely an opportunity for manufacturing to grow."

Rush's team at the British Fashion Council has already secured
the attendance of some of the most powerful buyers in the menswear
business from around the world, including representatives from Saks
and Opening Ceremony in America, United Arrows in Japan and Le Bon
Marché in France.

One of the greatest problems facing all the major fashion
capitals is how to get around from show to show. Several years ago,
when the main London shows were based around the Natural History
Museum, it was suggested that one of the reasons the American
editors stopped coming was that they couldn't bear being stuck in
traffic while being shuttled between South Kensington and the
cooler young designers showing in the East End. With this in mind,
for the inaugural LC:M the main base of activity will be at the
Hospital Club in Covent Garden. This members-only club and art
venue was originally set up by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and
ex-Eurythmics star Dave Stewart. It has long been associated with
big creative events in London, most notably as an exclusive VIP
area for the Frieze Art Fair. For London Collections it will host
the British Fashion Council show space, where designers such as Lou Dalton, Martine Rose and Xander Zhou will show, as well as acting as a
central hub, with three floors of showrooms and static
installations by more than 25 young ready-to-wear and accessory
designers. And while the fashion pack may not be famous for its
wholehearted embrace of the dreaded calories, it should also be
pointed out that the Hospital also has an excellent restaurant and
serves great cocktails. There will, of course, be other events
taking place across the capital, but the vast majority will be
held centrally, making movement between different venues as
stress-free as possible.